By 9News,Daniel Jeffrey
Copyright 9news
A doctor who told media he knew mushroom murderer Erin Patterson was “evil” when he spoke to her has been sanctioned by the medical regulator, which has ordered he undergo “professionalism” education.
Dr Christopher Webster became something of a celebrity after Patterson was found guilty of triple murder, with the triple zero call in which he raised the alarm about the killer widely published in Australian and international media.
Once she was found guilty of the murders of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Webster appeared in multiple outlets, calling Patterson “evil” and claiming he quickly knew she was guilty of murder.
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Yesterday, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) placed a number of conditions on his registration as a doctor. The precise reasons which led to APHRA’s sanction decision have not been disclosed.
Under those conditions, Webster must undergo one-on-one training on five different topics, including professionalism and ethics, professional communication, and privacy and confidentiality.
He’s also been told to be mentored about a range of factors including “appropriate use and disclosure of private and confidential information, managing and responding to requests for private and confidential information, and professionalism and ethics”.
He has six months to complete the one-on-one training, and a further six months to finish the mentoring program.
No reprimands have been placed on Webster’s registration, and it has not been suspended.
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Webster’s triple zero call, in which he alerted police to Patterson, attracted widespread media coverage when it was released by the courts.
“I have a concern about a patient who presented here earlier, but has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning,” Webster had told the call operator.
“There were five people who ate a meal on Saturday,” he later added.
“Two of them are in intensive care at Dandenong Hospital. Two have been transferred to Dandenong Hospital. And Erin presented this morning with symptoms of poisoning…
“I was managing the other critically unwell patients, so I had a brief chat with her about where the mushrooms were obtained.
“After that, while I was attending the other patients, the nurse informed me she had discharged herself against medical advice.”
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